Five new starters on the No. 10 West Texas A&M Lady Buff volleyball team didn’t stop the routine.

The Lady Buffs won their 400th game in the friendly confines of the WT Fieldhouse with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-13 defeat of Colorado State-Pueblo on Thursday.

The win puts WT at 400-59 at the fieldhouse and 29-5 in season openers, including 25-1 when opening at home.

“You have to take some pride in that,” WT outside hitter Lee Golden said. “Just coming in and looking around, you know there is some history here. It’s self pride and respect for wearing the jersey. As an athlete you better come out and show up, especially at ‘The Box.’”

Golden led the Lady Buffs with 13 kills. Halie Harton added 10.

“This is your time to shine,” Golden said. “My setter trusts me a lot so I just had to get in there and hit some balls and get into a flow of what WT is all about.”

WT head coach Jason Skoch said Golden has the potential to be a star.

“When she thunders, man she thunders,” Skoch said. “We are talking to her about not being an athlete and being a volleyball player. She is so dang athletic she doesn’t have to try to jump. Once we get her with more fundamentals, she’s wired the way we want our kids to be wired.”

Harton was able to get the closing kills in the first two sets.

“That’s a thing we are going to have to really focus on,” Harton said. “We have to know in those moments of pressure to put the ball away and destroy.”

CSU-Pueblo coach Jen Gomez was a little disappointed.

“First night out on the season wasn’t exactly what I was expecting out of my team,” Gomez said. “I don’t think all six played cohesively. I think we made too many unforced errors. I think WT did a great job of just coming out and swinging hard. I think they just outplayed us today.”

Harton said the Lady Buffs can play better.

“It was the first game so the jitters were all there,” Harton said.

“I think we could play a lot better. We played well in some areas and had some moments of glory, but we just have to hold that standard.”

Skoch said it was the defense that needs to pick it up.

“The new kids have to understand the standard,” Skoch said. “I felt like we came to win every point. We tried to win without playing defense and that’s not my mantra. We just want them to be who they are. Who they are is better blockers, and better diggers than that. We let balls drop.”

WT gets another shot to work on defense as the BritKare Lady Buff Classic begins at 9 a.m. today. The Lady Buffs will take on Texas-Permian Basin at 1 p.m. and Western State Colorado at 7:30 p.m. at the WT Fieldhouse.